The depth at the quarterback position is why I don’t panic about the position. Don’t reach for a quarterback because there’s plenty of players later in the draft who can come close each week to the top performers.
If you’re not carrying Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Drew Brees on your roster, it may be prudent to at least look at your backup quarterback’s matchup for how well they might do this week.
For the sake of argument, I’ll look at the consensus average draft position in determining which quarterbacks are technically backups, going from 13th and beyond. Here’s three backup fantasy football QBs who have an opportunity to make some noise in week 1.
Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
This has more to do with speculation than anything, but I’m intrigued at how much Wentz has matured.
He stumbled down the stretch, regressing from the player he was at the beginning of 2016. He notched more than 300 yards passing only twice from weeks 10 to 17, and wasn’t a factor in the running game.
But this is a new year and he has far more weapons. I love Alshon Jeffery on the outside. And I love this matchup, with a Washington team unable to stop the pass. There’s been a lot of publicity about Wentz’s growth, so we’ll see right away where he is as a passer. He started hot last year, so that’s a good sign.
If your main starter has a tough matchup, Wentz will face a far more appetizing week 1.
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
I’m higher on Manning’s potential this year than most. Even if you’re not sold on the rejuvenated Giants offense, this matchup bodes well for a productive week 1.
The Giants square off against a Dallas team that didn’t do anything against the pass last year. The last time we saw the Cowboys, they were getting shredded by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
I’m not going to put Manning in Rodgers’ class, but the Cowboys didn’t have much success against anyone last year in the passing game.
Dallas was not only a bottom-10 defense against the pass last year. They also allowed the second-highest completion percentage against opposing quarterbacks in the NFL. With more weapons at his disposal, Manning should be able to thread the Cowboys defense to an upset victory and big totals in fantasy.
Sam Bradford, QB, Minnesota Vikings
This is a long-shot, but the Vikings get New Orleans…at home…in the opening week on Monday Night Football.
That spells disaster for the Saints.
New Orleans can’t stop the pass anyway and Bradford is coming off a season with a ridiculous completion percentage. I’d have to believe Bradford will be more acclimated to the offense, giving way to more opportunities at being productive in fantasy football.
Bradford is a major sleeper, but his dink and dunk style will pay dividends against a Saints defense that regularly is the worst pass defense in the NFL. A 300-yard performance with a couple of touchdowns is definitely not out of the question for Bradford.
